What 𘱆 means
Unicode’s label is a code index, not a reading.
Some Khitan signs stand for words; others combine to spell them by sound. Context shows this glyph’s role.
How did Khitan small script develop?
Tradition credits Khitan prince Yelü Diela with creating it around 925 under Khitan-led Liao rule. A 2026 study challenges when it entered use; the earliest securely dated example is a 1051 tomb inscription. It served to write Khitan. Chinese characters shaped its forms, while Uyghur writing influenced its sound design, though the scripts look different.
After Liao fell, Jurchens modeled their scripts on both Khitan scripts; the Jin court banned Khitan writing in 1191. It later faded from use. Unicode 17.0 lists many sound values as unknown.
Don't confuse it with
1Questions people ask
1Why does 𘱆 show as a box on some devices?
Because that device's fonts have no glyph for it. The character is still correct and still copies correctly — the box is a missing glyph, not a broken character.
How to type 𘱆
𘱆\18C46Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.